


lesson four.

by andnowforyaya



Series: blue moon pet house series [5]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Consent Issues, Dom/sub, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Master/Pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:49:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8439184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andnowforyaya/pseuds/andnowforyaya
Summary: Even on the backs of his eyelids, all he can see is Kihyun.





	

**Author's Note:**

> tw: consent issues explored; rape/non-con implied but not explicit

Their door opens a little after four in the morning, and Hoseok wakes, sensitive to noises in the middle of the night. He sits up slowly and peers into the inky blackness of the hallway beyond the door until the shadows take shape and Kihyun is tiptoeing into their room, crawling into their bed. Hyunwoo makes space automatically without rousing one bit, rolling over instinctually when the weight shifts on the mattress.

“Kihyunnie?” Hoseok asks, squinting at Kihyun’s figure. He’s wearing an old shirt that might actually be Minhyuk’s and soft shorts that Hoseok has seen Changkyun wear around the House, and his face is bare of makeup and soft in the dark silver light of night. Kihyun settles in between the two masters, curling against Hoseok. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t feel good,” is the muffled reply. He sounds both petulant and pitiful, and Hoseok breathes out as the knot of worry loosens in his stomach, pulling the covers over them both and looping an arm around Kihyun’s waist to pull him closer. 

“Headache?” he whispers.

“No,” Kihyun says. “My stomach hurts a little.”

“Okay,” Hoseok says, rubbing Kihyun’s back, thinking on the night. Kihyun had a client earlier in the evening and then one much later. As the pets retired for the night, Hoseok had made sure he and Minhyuk cleaned up and checked on them before they all went to bed. Kihyun had looked a little pale, but insisted he was just tired when Hoseok asked. He feels Kihyun sink against him now, and he allows himself the pleasure of exploring each knob of Kihyun’s spine with his fingers. “Does this help?” he murmurs, his lips against Kihyun’s forehead.

Kihyun sighs and nods, so Hoseok continues massaging him gently, until Kihyun drifts back to sleep.

.

In the morning, Hoseok leaves Hyunwoo spooning against Kihyun’s back in the bed to head down to the gym in the hotel. The facilities here are clean, and early in the morning it is usually quiet, a space for Hoseok to exist without needing to be anything in particular. He loses himself when he runs on the treadmill, feels the burdens of being a master lift from his shoulders in these isolated moments, and thinks.

For Hyunwoo, it is swimming. He tells Hoseok that as he completes lap after lap in the pool, it’s like he’s being reborn, bit by bit. “No one can hold that much power over someone and make their decisions for them all the time,” he told Hoseok once, early in Hoseok’s training, when all they had were Hyungwon and Yoonho. “It’s exhausting, and frankly, bad for everyone involved.”

Hoseok runs until his muscles are aching. He thinks of the beach and waves foaming at the shoreline, Kihyun’s cold wet hands pressed against Hoseok’s cheeks as he laughs, sand in their kiss.

He trips, catching himself with heavy hands on the rails and quickly stepping his feet to the sides of the moving track, letting the track continue to run, its rhythmic whirring keeping time, calming his breaths. When he is steady enough, he lets go of the rails and presses his palms against his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

Even on the backs of his eyelids, all he can see is Kihyun.

.

When he returns from the gym, towel slung around the back of his neck to catch the sweat dripping from his hair, Hyunwoo is gone, but Minhyuk has taken his place next to Kihyun on the bed.

“Shh,” Minhyuk says, holding a finger up to his lips as Hoseok enters. “He’s sleeping.”

Hoseok grins. It’s hard not to when Minhyuk is around. The pet exudes a positive energy that Hoseok finds addictive; it’s what attracted Hyunwoo and Hoseok to bid for him in the first place. Minhyuk settles into place behind Kihyun, peering down at the other’s sleeping face with a soft smile on his face. He cards his fingers through Kihyun’s hair, chuckling a bit when Kihyun whines and tries to flick his hand away like it’s a fly buzzing around his ear.

“You’re up early,” Hoseok comments.

“You’re up earlier,” Minhyuk retorts. “Did you have a nice time at the gym, Master?”

Hoseok makes a noncommittal noise, shrugging his shoulders. This makes Minhyuk glance up at him, but he refrains from commenting.

“Kihyunnie said last night that he wanted to get breakfast together in the morning,” Minhyuk continues, still playing with Kihyun’s dark hair. The other has stopped swatting his hand away, now breathing evenly with the gentle touches, his pink lips slightly parted. “But when I went to look for him in his room I couldn’t find him, so I came here."

“How did you know he’d be here?”

Minhyuk purses his lips and regards Hoseok carefully, and suddenly Hoseok feels small under his stare, like how he’d feel when Hyunwoo used to critique him, telling him to stand with his shoulders straighter, to mean what he says, to leave no room for doubt or argument. Minhyuk says, “I knew he’d be with you.”

Hoseok doesn’t point out that he hadn’t been in bed when Minhyuk arrived, whenever he did, because he knows that’s not what Minhyuk means. He feels heat crawling up to his cheeks and settling there, and turns away. “I’m going to wash up,” he says. “Make sure to have breakfast, pet.”

He can feel Minhyuk’s smile against his back. “Of course,” is Minhyuk’s easy reply.

Hoseok chances a glance at the two pets on the bed before he closes the bathroom door. Kihyun’s eyelids flutter open, and Minhyuk drops a chaste kiss on Kihyun’s cheek in greeting. “Finally,” Minhyuk says. “I’m starving.”

He watches Kihyun roll over and nudge Minhyuk until Minhyuk, eyes wide with surprise, disappears over the edge of the bed, landing with a thump on the floor as Kihyun laughs, victorious. Hoseok smiles to himself, hearing their muffled laughter through the door as Minhyuk seeks out his revenge.

.

The parlor that evening is quiet. Hoseok and Hyunwoo make their rounds and tend to the guests, but there isn’t much else to do after that, other than to watch clients entering and leaving the private rooms. After a few hours of this, Hyunwoo dismisses Hoseok for the night.

“Are you sure?” Hoseok asks, eyeing the door to the room where he knows Kihyun is entertaining a newer client.

Hyunwoo smiles, closed lipped, and says, “Go. I know there is something weighing on your mind.”

There is still a part of Hoseok that melts when Hyunwoo shows that he has been paying attention to him, through simple statements or small actions like this; a small part of Hoseok that craves this acknowledgment from a figure of authority. He supposes it’s a residual effect from his training as a pet that might never leave him, and that maybe, it’s something that’s always been a part of him anyway.

“Thank you,” he says, appreciative, and goes.

He takes a long, hot shower to clear his mind. By the time he crawls into bed his muscles are feeling the ache from this morning’s run. A full, heavy exhaustion hits him suddenly, and he wants nothing more than to sleep.

It feels like he’s closed his eyes for only a moment before the door is creaking open. The light on the bedside table is still on, throwing a ring of soft gold around the bed. He squints, the blurry lines of his bedroom solidifying and forming a familiar scene.

“Hoseok?” Kihyun says from the door. His voice is quiet and small. Hoseok lifts his hand in an attempt at a wave, and Kihyun walks forward, arms crossed over his middle, bare-faced and wearing clothes that aren’t his own again.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Hoseok mumbles, still half-asleep, his fogged mind registering that Kihyun is climbing into bed, turning off the light as he goes. Kihyun slides into place next to Hoseok, his face like a mask. “Baby?” Hoseok asks again, curling his arm around Kihyun to pull him closer.

“My head hurts,” Kihyun whispers.

Hoseok shifts so that he can wrap both arms around Kihyun, Kihyun’s face pressed against his chest. “Are you getting sick? First your stomach, now your head.”

“I don’t know,” Kihyun whispers, his voice shaking a little.

“Okay,” Hoseok says. “Shh, it’s okay. Do you want me to get you some medicine?” Slowly, Kihyun shakes his head, and Hoseok frowns, worried. If it hurts, the medicine will help. “It’s okay to take it, Kihyunnie,” he adds.

“No,” Kihyun says firmly.

Hoseok sighs, but doesn’t push the issue. Instead, he brings one hand up to the base of Kihyun’s skull and presses his fingers into the muscle there, kneading gently. Hyunwoo had told Hoseok that the pet liked this, when he’d done it for him. Sure enough, Kihyun lets out a pleased hum and relaxes, his arm coming around Hoseok’s waist tentatively.

When Hoseok feels himself drifting, warm and peaceful with Kihyun’s body pressed against his, Kihyun lifts his face and kisses Hoseok on the lips, chaste and sweet. Hoseok grins despite himself, giddiness spreading through him. “What was that for?” he mumbles, bringing their faces closer.

“I wanted to,” Kihyun says against Hoseok’s lips, a bold statement coming from a pet. It reminds Hoseok of when he first met Kihyun, the pet impatiently sitting on Hoseok’s lap, eating food from his fingers without waiting for Hoseok to come to him first.

Hoseok kisses him back, and Kihyun’s lips are soft and pliant against his, perfect. He tastes slightly minty, and he gasps when Hoseok slips his tongue into his mouth, the sound sweet to Hoseok’s ears. Hoseok feels like a man addicted. Kihyun’s body is so familiar to him, and yet he thinks he could never get enough, never enough of Kihyun’s small noises of pleasure, or the smiles that make his eyes turn into happy crescents, his rich voice, the way he teases. He rolls Kihyun onto his back and lays over him, and Kihyun shifts his thighs apart so that Hoseok can fit himself between them, chest to chest, Kihyun’s arms tight around Hoseok’s waist.

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok breathes against Kihyun’s jawline, just to hear Kihyun whine when he hears his name, needy. Hoseok laughs softly, and kisses Kihyun down the side of his neck, his throat, his hands traveling to the soft flannel at the waistband of Kihyun’s pants. He trails his fingers over the feathery-soft skin there over Kihyun’s stomach, relishing the hitched breath this brings from the pet, kissing him again and pushing the material of his shirt up to expose Kihyun’s navel.

“Master,” Kihyun mewls, as Hoseok’s fingers dip below his waistband, finding the crease of his hip and kneading. Kihyun’s knees fall open further, his breath caught in his throat. His arms tighten suddenly around Hoseok’s neck as he twitches in Hoseok’s hold. “Wait,” he says, hesitant and uncertain.

Hoseok pauses, lifting his eyes to peer at Kihyun's face. He takes in the tight line of this lips and his closed eyes, his brows furrowed low over them, tense. “Okay,” Hoseok says, taking his hand out from Kihyun's clothing. He pulls down Kihyun's shirt as well, smoothing the fabric over his belly. Kihyun exhales shakily when Hoseok shifts higher so that he can brush Kihyun's hair back from his forehead as though to iron out the lines across his skin. “You okay?”

“I'm sorry,” Kihyun says, eyes still closed. “I just -- I don't want to.” He turns his face to the side and down, a protective reflex, anticipation clear across his tight expression, and Hoseok's heart breaks a little, heavy and sharp inside of him.

“We can just sleep, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok says softly, still smoothing Kihyun's hair back. Gradually, Kihyun’s breathing evens out and his eyelids flutter open, revealing bright, shocked eyes. “Would that be okay?”

Kihyun nods, and Hoseok moves so that Kihyun can curl up against him, the pet’s fists between them. Slowly, hesitantly, Kihyun presses his palms against Hoseok’s chest, and inches closer. He makes himself small like he wishes he could crawl inside Hoseok’s shirt pocket and stay there.

Hoseok says, “Remember when we talked about how you have to tell us if something is wrong?” He doesn’t miss the tension that makes Kihyun’s shoulders rigid, suddenly tight. Hoseok chews on his bottom lip, sensing that he is on the edge of something dangerous. “What’s going on in your head, baby?”

Kihyun doesn’t answer for a very long time. When Hoseok pulls back to ask him again, he finds Kihyun is asleep. Whether or not he is pretending, Hoseok doesn’t push. It feels important that he wait for Kihyun to come to him. That he is patient.

He falls into a sleep riddled with half-dreams, where he is haunted by the image of his mother’s face when he was taken away, her blank expression and hollow cheeks.

He wakes with tears in his eyes, a longing for something like a yawning chasm in his chest, and Kihyun is gone.

.

Kihyun and Minhyuk do not turn up for breakfast, and by mid-day Hoseok has searched all of the House for a sign of them both, ever increasingly anxious, picturing Kihyun’s tense shoulders and his wide, shocked eyes. Something had been wrong, Hoseok is sure. It claws at him, this feeling that he should have done something more in the middle of the night, that Kihyun had needed something else from him, and that he’d been too inadequate as a master to provide.

He finds Hyunwoo and Hyungwon in the parlor, the older man watching the pet move through a series of dance steps.

“Have you seen Kihyunnie?” Hoseok asks without announcing himself, interrupting their practice. Hyungwon missteps and stumbles, shooting Hoseok a narrow-eyed glare that quickly falls when he takes in the expression on Hoseok’s face. The pet shakes his head. Hyunwoo, sitting on one of the many couches in the parlor, nods and beckons Hoseok closer.

“He and Minhyuk asked if they could do some shopping,” Hyunwoo explains as Hoseok sits beside him. “I gave them a curfew for the early afternoon. Kihyun said you’d given him permission, so I let them go.”

“He didn’t ask me,” Hoseok says, unable to keep the note of complaint and slight betrayal from his voice.

Hyunwoo leans forward, his elbows on his knees, and ducks his head to laugh. “He’s always trouble,” he mutters under his breath. He looks up again, meeting Hoseok’s eyes. “I sent them with a staff member. When they get back, do you want me to talk to them, or should I?”

Hoseok pauses, thinking. Hyunwoo is offering to clean up after him, to discipline Kihyun and Minhyuk, and this would be the easier of the two options. But he knows his responsibilities. “I’ll talk to them,” he says.

Hyunwoo nods again, claps a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder in solidarity and approval.

“Actually,” Hoseok continues, eyes darting to Hyungwon lingering in the parlor, who is examining his nails. Hyungwon exudes a sort of unflappability Hoseok wishes he could emulate. He looks luxurious, even bored and standing there with nothing to do. Hoseok turns back to Hyunwoo. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Hyunwoo examines him briefly before saying, “Hyungwon, would you check on Changkyun and Jooheon for me?”

Hyungwon gives a great, theatrical sigh and turns on his heel, waving goodbye with an elegant twirl of his wrist. He says, “Of course, Master,” and is gone in a moment. Hoseok feels the room narrow and close in around him, focused on him and Hyunwoo.

“What did you want to talk about?” Hyunwoo asks.

Hoseok prepares himself with a breath. “It’s about Kihyun.”

Hyunwoo nods, as if he’d been expecting this. Maybe he had. “Even though he lied about having permission, I’m happy he took a chance to step outside of the House. I have a feeling he’s used to being kept under lock and key.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean?” Hyunwoo returns cryptically, and Hoseok pouts, accustomed to this sort of line of questioning. When Hyunwoo had been training him, Hoseok would often question him around the roles and expectations of both pets and masters, and Hyunwoo would throw the question back at him, giving him the space to come to the answers himself. He didn’t always like it. Sometimes he just wanted to be told what was right and what was wrong.

Hoseok thinks, and says, “Many Houses are still very traditional. And pets aren’t given very much -- freedom. Not nearly as much as we give to ours. Kihyun probably comes from a line of traditional Houses. He told me his mother was a pet; he probably grew up in a House, too.”

“Someone like Kihyun,” Hyunwoo says slowly, “has probably led a very enclosed life.” 

Hoseok feels that knot of worry form in his stomach again, uncomfortable and swirling. “I’m worried about him,” he blurts to Hyunwoo, who blinks at Hoseok’s directness.

“You really care for him,” Hyunwoo states.

“Of course I do,” Hoseok says. “But don’t you care for Hyungwon as well? And the others?”

Hyunwoo sighs and runs a hand through his short, black hair quickly, his eyes downcast. “I do,” he admits, “but not in the same way.” He pauses before saying, blunt in that measured voice of his: “You worry about him as you would a lover.”

Hoseok’s insides freeze at the statement, and then thaw just as quickly, thinking about Kihyun like that, not a pet but a lover. Not his, but each other’s. Equal.

“Is that a problem?” Hoseok asks quietly, knowing the question implies Hyunwoo’s statement to be true.

Hyunwoo nods again, not in response but in contemplation. He says, “Objectively, it’s unfair to the other pets. And from Kihyun’s perspective...if he doesn’t feel the same way, he may feel obligated to pretend. You know that love has no place in this industry. Yoonho is gone because of this, and I hope he’s happy where he is, of course. But some pets don’t understand it. Can’t tease it out. Especially those who were trained since they were very young.”

He quiets, and the words storm inside of Hoseok, adding to the knot of worry in his stomach. Hyunwoo rarely speaks this much; Hoseok thinks the older man must have had this on his mind for a long time. 

“You know,” Hyunwoo continues, surprising Hoseok, “One of the reasons why I said you’d not make a good pet is because you were too old by the time you entered the industry, by the time you were training. You feel too much. It makes you a good master.”

“It doesn’t,” Hoseok protests. “It makes me ineffective.”

“It makes you empathetic,” Hyunwoo says gently but firmly, and Hoseok lets it sink in.

He sighs, his breath shuddering. “But Kihyunnie--”

“If he feels the same way,” Hyunwoo says, “if he _can_ feel the same way, then maybe it won’t be a problem.”

“Everyone can love,” Hoseok argues, and it feels hopelessly naive as soon as the words leave his mouth. He flushes when Hyunwoo meets his gaze again.

“That’s not what I mean,” he says. “And you know it.”

The rest of the day, Hoseok is weighed down by his thoughts. Kihyun makes himself scarce, hiding in other pets’ rooms, claiming he is tired and napping with Minhyuk. Avoiding Hoseok. Kihyun doesn’t crawl into Hoseok’s bed that night, and Hoseok lies awake with Hyunwoo solid against his back until the sun is just peeking over the horizon, a sick feeling gnawing at his heart.

.

Minyuk is waiting for Hoseok in the morning outside of his door, sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest. Hoseok, in gym clothes and a bottle of water in hand, pauses and blinks at him. “Minhyuk?”

The pet smiles at him, and rises to his feet. Something is off. The smile is dimmer than usual, and doesn’t quite reach Minhyuk’s eyes. “Master Hoseok,” Minhyuk says, “I was waiting for you.”

“I can see that,” Hoseok says quietly, taking in Minhyuk’s slightly drawn features. He steps closer and runs the back of his hand over Minhyuk’s cheek and jawbone, which the pet immediately leans against and into, seeking the small comfort the touch offers. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Minhyuk says pleasantly, his husky voice low and pleasant, still gritty from the morning. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Hoseok asks, cupping the back of Minhyuk’s head with his palm.

Minhyuk meets his eyes, and Hoseok shivers at the intensity behind them. With Minhyuk, sometimes he feels their roles are reversed completely. The pet has a magnetic presence and sway to him, an object with its own gravity forever pulling things to stay by his side. He finally deigns to speak again. “Kihyunnie slept in my room last night,” he informs Hoseok, eyelashes fluttering against the tops of his cheeks. 

Which is why he didn’t sleep in Hoseok’s. He feels a frown start to pull at the corners of his lips when Minhyuk continues: “I wanted to let you know. I don’t like to keep secrets from you.”

Hoseok thinks back on the shopping excursion Minhyuk and Kihyun went on earlier this week, and recognizes the lie for what it is. “You’ll keep a secret when it’s convenient for you,” Hoseok says, and Minhyuk grins slightly, caught.

“Okay, you’re right, Master Hoseok. But I didn’t want to keep this secret, because I’m worried about Kihyunnie.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows dip, and Minhyuk cups the master’s face in his palms, drawing them closer to each other. “What makes you worried, pet?” Hoseok asks.

“He thought I didn’t notice, but he kept moving around all night. Bad dreams, I think.”

“Is he still in your room now?”

Minhyuk nods. “He’s a sleepyhead this morning,” he says. “He’s cute, don’t you think so?”

Hoseok doesn’t answer, but he takes Minhyuk’s hand and walks down the hall to stop in front of the pet’s room. The door is closed. He’s not sure why his heart is hammering suddenly in his chest, or why his mouth feels dry. Minhyuk knocks on his own door and pushes it open slightly, peeking his head inside.

“Kihyunnie?” he calls softly. “Kihyunnie, Master Hoseok is here.”

He pushes the door open all the way, and Hoseok follows him through it.

Kihyun sits up on the bed, rubbing at his eyes. The blankets falls and pool into his lap, and the shirt he’s wearing has a collar that is too big for his neck, exposing the curve and smooth skin of one shoulder. Hoseok’s heart jumps up into his throat, struck by the image, before he takes in the dark circles under Kihyun’s eyes.

“Baby,” Hoseok whispers, moving to him. He’s not sure how he came to have Kihyun in his lap already, curled up against his chest as he rests against the pillows on Minhyuk’s bed. Kihyun is quiet, chewing on his bottom lip, then on his thumb nail, then on his bottom lip again, but he clings to Hoseok as if to leech the heat from him. Minhyuk makes himself comfortable, resting at the foot of the bed, watching them.

“What time is it?” Kihyun asks, yawning.

“Still morning,” Hoseok says. “You didn’t sleep at all?”

At this, Kihyun glances over his shoulder at Minhyuk, shooting him a weak glare. Minhyuk shrugs back at him, smiling still.

“I’m glad he told me,” Hoseok says, to stem any sort of argument between the two. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Kihyun says quietly.

“You can bother me any time,” Hoseok says. “It’s not even bothering. I love when you come to me, when I can help you, Kihyunnie. And I want to.” He shifts so that his arms are around Kihyun’s waist. “Now, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Kihyun says, too quickly. “Nothing is wrong with me. I can work.”

“That’s not why I’m asking, baby,” Hoseok says evenly, the worry sharpening in his gut. “You haven’t been in the best place for a few days, and I want to know why, and how I can help.”

Kihyun breathes against Hoseok, slowly and evenly, the rhythm forced. He says, “I don’t know what I can say to you.”

“You can say anything,” Hoseok whispers into Kihyun’s hair. He presses a kiss to the pet’s forehead, and feels Kihyun sink against him. “Don’t lock me out.”

Kihyun looks up at Hoseok from under his lashes, and his eyes are dark, and for the first time, Hoseok realizes they are sad as well. He wishes he could shine a light through them, to shatter whatever it is that keeps Kihyun there behind the shadows of his irises.

“I’m sorry,” Kihyun murmurs, slumping against Hoseok, breaking their gaze. His lips brush Hoseok’s neck.

“It’s okay,” Hoseok says. “Take your time.”

.

That night, Hoseok keeps his eye on Kihyun. Though he and Hyunwoo usually monitor for any misconduct, tonight Hoseok is hyper-attuned to everything Kihyun does. When he makes drinks for the guests and the glass shake against each other on the tray, Hoseok notices. When he keeps looking over his shoulder at the doors of the parlor, Hoseok notices. Kihyun masks these small actions with his acts of seduction, skilled, Hoseok realizes, not in acting, but in drawing attention to something else that he can control. When his fingers shake, Kihyun licks his tongue over his lips, keeping the attention focused elsewhere.

Hoseok’s chest tightens. How had he not noticed before? Or perhaps it hadn’t been so bad the previous couple of nights. Kihyun keeps looking at the door, his body a tense, fragile line, and Hoseok thinks: He’s scared.

When the client walks through the doors, Kihyun nearly drops his tray of drinks, saving them only by placing the entire tray heavily on a nearby table. Changkyun, walking by, gives Kihyun a worried stare, but Kihyun shakes him off. To anyone else, he may just seem tired. Hoseok stands.

The client is older, distinguished in a suit, broad-shouldered and well-muscled. He has gray hairs at his temple, and a strong, square jaw. He looks familiar, though Hoseok can’t place him. Hoseok knows he is new, that he has been coming regularly since a few days ago.

Hoseok’s blood instantly boils. He tells Hyunwoo he will return shortly, and then he walks to Kihyun, intercepting him before the client can reach him. Kihyun’s back is to him. Hoseok touches his shoulder and Kihyun flinches, turning around quickly with his mouth open, ready to speak. But when he sees it’s Hoseok, he shuts his mouth with an audible click of his jaw. His eyes travel past Hoseok’s shoulder, to the client, and widen.

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok says. He cups Kihyun’s face with his hands, bringing their gazes to each other again. “I’ll tell him to go.”

“No,” Kihyun says, shaking his head. His whole body is shaking, actually, little tremors Hoseok isn’t sure Kihyun has any power to control. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Hoseok says firmly. “You’re shaking.”

“I’m fine,” Kihyun says, eyes welling up with tears. “Please, he’ll be so upset--”

“I don’t care if he is upset,” Hoseok interrupts. “I care if you are.”

A shadow looms over them. Kihyun looks away as best as he can.

“I’m not late, am I?” the client asks. He enunciates each word carefully. Kihyun’s breath shudders when he inhales.

“Kihyunnie isn’t feeling well,” Hoseok says, letting Kihyun go, turning so that he’s facing the client and between them. The other man is taller than Hoseok by half a head, and he looks down his nose at the master.

“I can see that he’s right behind you,” he says, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“And he’s done for the evening,” Hoseok says, trying to keep his voice light and professional. “I’m very sorry. We will refund you, of course.”

Kihyun’s hand comes around Hoseok’s wrist, tugging slightly. “Hoseok--”

“He’s not done for the evening,” the client says. “I made an appointment. I expect it to be respected.”

“And I expect you to respect the rules of the House,” Hoseok says, this time through gritted teeth. The other man is starting to turn red in the face, and Hoseok feels strangely smug about it. Kihyun’s grip on his wrist tightens, and he crowds against Hoseok’s back. “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to make another appointment.”

“This is bullshit,” the client says suddenly. His hand snakes out and makes a grab for Kihyun, but Hoseok is there and blocks it with his shoulder. “He’s right here!”

“I think you should go,” Hoseok says, angry enough that smoke could be coming out of his nostrils.

The client makes to grab Kihyun again, but Hoseok is faster. Hoseok's fist meets the client's nose.

For a moment, the client is stunned, and Hoseok is, too. They stare at each other, blood dripping from the client’s nose to his upper lip. Then, he roars to life.

Hoseok hasn’t been in a fist fight since he was small. He’s shadowboxed with Hyunwoo a few times, but these matches had been sessions meant to instill trust in the other and discipline in himself. This client means to hurt him.

And then, Hoseok thinks, he means to hurt Kihyun.

A black rage descends over his eyes and guides his fists. Pain explodes at his temple and cheek, but then again across his knuckles when he lands a solid punch over the client’s eye, and he is satisfied. He tastes blood on his teeth. The client is wheezing as Hoseok straddles his chest, knocking his head to the side with blow after blow, until a force is pulling him back and apart. He struggles blindly, wild with anger.

Hyunwoo says into his ear, “Stop this,” but Hoseok pushes him away. The client is still here, moaning on the ground. Hoseok lunges for him, and feels Hyunwoo hook him around the waist with a strong arm. Hyunwoo flings him back, and Hoseok crashes into Kihyun, who holds him on the ground, kneeling, who makes him look at him in the eyes, squeezing his cheeks together with his palms.

“Hoseok,” Kihyun says, crying, “ _Hoseok_.”

The black rage dissipates, leaving a gray static in Hoseok’s ears. Around them, the parlor is silent. Hyunwoo has instructed the pets to usher the guests out, and Jooheon finishes with a client and walks him to the door. There are no objections. Kihyun’s voice reaches him through the fog, and he calms in one, two, three breaths.

“You’re scaring me,” Kihyun says. There’s blood on his fingers. Hoseok’s blood. “You’re hurt.”

“I could kill him,” Hoseok says, feeling like a penned-in bull.

Kihyun shakes his head, keeping his hands on Hoseok’s cheeks, and this grounds him. He breathes deeply, in and out. “Master Hyunwoo is taking him away,” Kihyun says.

“He’ll never come back here again, Kihyun,” Hoseok promises.

Kihyun’s cheeks are wet, and his smile is uncertain as he rubs his thumbs over Hoseok’s cheeks. “You’re bleeding,” he whispers. “I’m sorry.”

“This,” Hoseok says, holding onto Kihyun’s wrists, “you don’t blame yourself for this, Kihyun.”

“Does it hurt?” Kihyun asks.

It does; his head is starting to throb, and there’s a sharp pain in his side he hadn’t noticed before. “No,” Hoseok says. “I’ll be okay.”

Hyunwoo kneels down beside them, and puts a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. “Do you need a hospital?” Hyunwoo asks.

Hoseok shakes his head.

“Just first aid, then,” Hyunwoo says. “And maybe another knock in the head by me.”

“I’ll take care of him,” Kihyun says. He looks shocked at his own voice. “If you can help me bring him upstairs.”

Hyunwoo levels him with a knowing stare, and finally grunts in agreement. Hoseok is about to protest that he doesn’t need help walking up the stairs -- it’s not like he broke his legs or anything -- but when he tries to stand, his knee throbs and he’s grateful for Hyunwoo’s shoulder under his arm.

.

The pets that night visit Hoseok briefly as Kihyun tends to his cuts and bruises with clean water and alcohol in the master suite’s bathroom. Changkyun and Jooheon both check him over for other injuries, only satisfied to leave when Hoseok insists the other guy was much worse off.

Hyungwon pretends not to be concerned, but walks back and forth in front of the door to the bathroom before Hoseok finally calls him inside, only slightly annoyed. “You’re still the more handsome of the two,” Hyungwon offers magnanimously, surreptitiously prodding Hoseok for hidden bruises, before turning away when Hoseok smiles at him from his seat on the counter.

Minhyuk stays the longest, and helps, chattering on about nothing to fill the silence between Kihyun and Hoseok. But when the bruise over Hoseok’s knee has been tended to, and his nose checked for breaks, and his knuckles cleaned and wrapped, Minhyuk goes also, exaggerating his yawn and slipping out the door.

Hyunwoo is absent, but this is to be expected. Hoseok can imagine Hyunwoo tucking each of the other pets into their beds, lingering to assuage any concerns they might have that they don’t feel that can address to Hoseok just yet. He is giving Hoseok space with Kihyun, especially after their conversation before. He imagines Hyunwoo will be staying with Hyungwon again, tonight, as he has been more and more regularly.

“Do you want to wash up?” Hoseok asks, nodding towards the shower. He kicks his legs absently, his ankles knocking against the cabinets.

Kihyun says, “Maybe after I put you to bed.” Hoseok grins, the action pulling at his split lip. Kihyun frowns. “Your lips will never heal if you keep smiling.”

“I can’t help it when I’m with you,” Hoseok says. Kihyun flushes an attractive pink, looking away as he helps Hoseok down from the counter. They shuffle to the bed, and Hoseok collapses upon it, moving himself by his elbows to lay flat on the mattress, head on his pillow. He contemplates the ceiling. Kihyun sits on the edge of the bed, tentative. Hoseok wants to hold him, to crush him against his chest. He asks, “Who was he?”

Kihyun moves until he can lay beside Hoseok, carefully arranging himself so that he doesn’t jostle Hoseok and aggravate his surface wounds. Hoseok holds his arm out, and Kihyun lifts his head and lays upon it, looking up at the ceiling as well. They breathe together. When Hoseok turns to gaze at Kihyun’s profile, Kihyun doesn’t move. He says, “When I was younger, there was an auction. For my first night.”

Hoseok forgets to breathe. Kihyun’s profile is beautiful and sharp, his gaze far away. He looks lost, and Hoseok yearns for him with his whole being even though he’s lying next to him on the bed.

“He was my first,” Kihyun says quietly, not meeting Hoseok’s eyes. “He...was not gentle. I never thought I’d see him again.”

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok begins, his heart breaking. “Why didn’t you--”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. It is a recurring theme for Kihyun, Hyunwoo and Hoseok always asking him to say more, and he thinks asking it will only make Kihyun feel more guilty.

He doesn’t move as Kihyun turns toward him, shifting his weight carefully, resting his head on Hoseok’s chest. “He said I was the best he ever had,” Kihyun says. “He said he’d tell you awful things about me if I complained. I didn’t want that. I couldn’t bear it if you looked at me differently.”

“I wouldn’t have believed them,” Hoseok says. He finds Kihyun’s hand and holds it over his heart, feels the organ beating under his fingers.

Kihyun says, “But what if the awful things are true?”

Hoseok lets the thought wash over him, and realizes he doesn’t care. Whatever Kihyun’s past was, it holds no bearing over Hoseok’s thoughts and feelings about his present here, at Blue Moon House, with him. “I wouldn’t look at you any differently, baby,” Hoseok says.

Kihyun is quiet after that, his fingers entwined in Hoseok’s. Then, he pushes himself up and kisses Hoseok on the lips, the kiss deepening as Hoseok inhales and breathes in Kihyun’s sweet scent. It’s heady, the rush he gets when Kihyun kisses him like this, like he’s drowning, or like he’s searching for something deep inside of Hoseok. He feels wet tears against his cheeks, and gasps, pulling back.

“We don’t have to do this,” Hoseok says, their lips only a breath apart. “I don’t _want_ this if it’s because you feel guilty, or because you think you have to.”

Kihyun’s eyes bore into his. He climbs over Hoseok and straddles him, and bites his own lips. “I want this,” he says. “With you.”

The next kiss is even softer, languid, like they have all the time in the world. Kihyun lets himself rest over Hoseok and presses their hips together, and they both gasp at the sensation.

It’s a slow exploration of Kihyun’s body. Hoseok reveals him, layer after layer, piece after piece. He kisses Kihyun’s shoulders until they are blushing, trails his lips down to his wrists to mouth at the pulse he finds there, jumping under his touch. Kihyun’s chest is flat, his nipples soft and then hard in his mouth, and Kihyun twitches and moans when Hoseok uses his teeth. When they are both naked, Hoseok rolls them over and settles himself between Kihyun’s thighs, sitting back slightly just to take him in, his soft muscle and smooth skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” Hoseok whispers, reverent. He wants to kiss every part of Kihyun, and so he does, kissing him until Kihyun is whispering Hoseok’s name under his breath with every touch, reaching for him, guiding Hoseok’s hand underneath the curve of his ass.

“Please,” Kihyun says. “I want you.”

Heat strikes through every cell in Hoseok’s body. He slicks his fingers in lube and stretches Kihyun open slowly until Kihyun is moaning and Hoseok is twisting the blade-edge of his hand inside of him, the rim of Kihyun’s hole tight around the joint of Hoseok’s thumb.

“Look at you,” Hoseok says, kissing Kihyun, tasting him. “Such a good boy.”

Kihyun sobs, his dick jumping against his lower belly and wetting his skin with the pre-cum that had gathered at the tip. “Yes,” he gasps. “Your good boy.”

“That’s right,” Hoseok murmurs. He kisses Kihyun’s temple and Kihyun whines when Hoseok slips his fingers out, and plays with where he’s stretched with just two. It’s not enough, and Hoseok knows it.

“Master,” Kihyun begs. “ _Please_.”

“Shh, baby,” Hoseok says. “I have you. I have you.” He lines himself up against Kihyun’s slicked entrance and begins to push in slowly, and Kihyun keens, overstimulated, moaning loud with the head of Hoseok’s dick pushes past his rim.

Hoseok fucks Kihyun carefully, needing to feel everything. Kihyun’s hole is hot around him, and just wet enough from prep for the perfect glide, building even more heat and friction. When he’s buried himself to the hilt, Kihyun sighs and his knees falls wide open, and he holds Hoseok against his chest. Hoseok grinds their hips together, savoring all the sweet noises that fall from Kihyun’s lips. He starts to thrust, in and out, with Kihyun still holding on so tight, as if he’s afraid to let go.

“No one else makes me feel the way you make me feel,” Kihyun says all in one breath, a gasp, a moan. Hoseok fucks into him and Kihyun’s body arches off the bed and he cries out, so Hoseok does it again, and again, and again.

Hoseok wraps his hand around Kihyun’s dick and pumps him in time with his thrusts, and soon Kihyun starts to tremble, his body starts to tighten around him. Hoseok squeezes the base of Kihyun’s cock lightly, preventing him from spilling over. “Not yet, baby,” Hoseok says. “Wait for me.”

Kihyun nods frantically against him. “Hurry,” he says, eyes squeezes tightly shut.

Hoseok thrusts into Kihyun’s tight, perfect heat, his orgasm building low in his stomach, in his balls. He’s close. He starts to pump Kihyun’s cock again, and begins to thrust faster.

“Hoseok,” Kihyun gasps. “Hoseok -- I’m so close, I’m so close--”

“Me, too,” Hoseok pants, his hips starting to move more erratically. His climax hits him like a sledgehammer. He knows he is crying out but his ears are ringing as he fucks into Kihyun and spills his release inside of him. Kihyun tightens and writhes and spills sticky in between them, and when he is done he feels loose and malleable, and Hoseok keeps moving back and forth so Kihyun can feel the aftershocks, his hole pulsing around Hoseok.

He comes down and kisses Kihyun’s forehead first, and then his lips. They don’t move from this position for a long time, just breathing against each other, until the cum is drying on Kihyun’s belly. Hoseok is soft, now, and slips out easily, though Kihyun protests with a whine.

“That was amazing,” Hoseok praises. “You’re amazing.”

Kihyun’s blush is high on his cheeks, his eyes still glazed over from his orgasm. Hoseok kisses him once more before leaving the bed briefly for a wet cloth. Kihyun doesn’t look to be in any position to move, and that’s okay. He returns to clean Kihyun up, massaging Kihyun’s inner thighs with the slightly rough fabric of the towel, kissing him again when he can. He throws the towel into the hamper and rolls over in bed, tucking him in behind Kihyun and holding him close.

In three breaths, Kihyun is asleep, and Hoseok follows shortly after.

.

It’s early enough for it still to be considered the late evening when Hoseok wakes. Kihyun is still in bed, in his arms, his lips slightly parted in sleep, his hair completely flat on one side and a wild nest on the other. Hoseok chuckles, trying to smooth it out for him. Kihyun wrinkles his nose and snuggles closer, eyes still closed.

The moon is still glowing in the sky as the sun starts to brighten the world outside. Hoseok brushes Kihyun’s hair back from his forehead. “I love you,” he whispers, to try it out, to see how it feels. Kihyun hums but doesn’t wake, and Hoseok closes his eyes again, eager for morning to come.

.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading. comments are very much appreciated <3 come find me on twitter @andnowforyaya


End file.
